White Monoplane (replica)

1912 (2012), Flight Shed, On long term display

Californian aviator George D White designed this canard, or ‘tail first’, monoplane in 1912. The ‘baby’ White was then one of the smallest and lowest powered aeroplanes in the world. White marketed and sold sets of working drawings for just $2 to encourage budding aviators to build their own aircraft. Many early 20th century pioneer aeroplanes were based on a similar design.

The canard design was falling out of favour following Louis Blériot’s record-breaking channel crossing in his Blériot XI monoplane. White soon replaced it with a more conventional Sports White. This full-sized replica, powered by a 1920s 350cc Douglas motorcycle engine, was built by Brooklands Museum volunteer Julian Aubert.